Scanning experiment
5 inch x 1.5 inch section of a source document (census microfilm photocopy)
selected for scanning. Original handwriting is not very clear for name
spellings regardless of file size used.

Various saved files of the same scan range from 115 kb to 730 kb with very
little difference in quality of printed image enlarged to 6.5 inches wide.
Pixel heights were 240-480. JPG settings best and 10%, all samples 256
greyscale.

The smallest image of 115 kb looks nearly as good reduced to 17 kb using
software to reduce the file to minimum acceptable size.

Advantage of using smallest acceptable image size is that more sources can
be saved on a single backup product, in this case a CD-Recordable that will
be shared with relatives.

Some researchers keep files in three or four sizes -- Archival, family size
(usually 480-600 pixels), web size with some form of compression and perhaps
thumbnails just to show that a source document or photo is available.

Suggestion based on five years of working with source documents and photos
in a genealogy program is to use the scans for the intended purpose and make
file size decisions based on trial printouts (or web postings).
Elizabeth

George Painter

Elizabeth, very interesting. If you want to take this further, can you send me a typical scan at the highest resolution you can scan. Keep in the original

Message 2 of 2
, Feb 12, 2001

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Elizabeth, very interesting. If you want to take this further, can you
send me a typical scan at the highest resolution you can scan. Keep in the
original tif format if you can as size doesn't matter as I have a cable
connection. I would like to import it into Photoshop and see if I can
imporove it to it make more readable. I have just finished scanning in
some "tin types" in the Gem size and they were very dark. Most of them
cleaned up and are beautiful now, even expanded to larger sizes such as 3 X
5 in or so.

I will be glad to compare and let you and the list know what my success is/was.

George in Eldersburg, MD.

At 12:05 PM 2/12/01 -0700, you wrote:

>Scanning experiment
>5 inch x 1.5 inch section of a source document (census microfilm photocopy)
>selected for scanning. Original handwriting is not very clear for name
>spellings regardless of file size used.
>
>Various saved files of the same scan range from 115 kb to 730 kb with very
>little difference in quality of printed image enlarged to 6.5 inches wide.
>Pixel heights were 240-480. JPG settings best and 10%, all samples 256
>greyscale.
>
>The smallest image of 115 kb looks nearly as good reduced to 17 kb using
>software to reduce the file to minimum acceptable size.
>
>Advantage of using smallest acceptable image size is that more sources can
>be saved on a single backup product, in this case a CD-Recordable that will
>be shared with relatives.
>
>Some researchers keep files in three or four sizes -- Archival, family size
>(usually 480-600 pixels), web size with some form of compression and perhaps
>thumbnails just to show that a source document or photo is available.
>
>Suggestion based on five years of working with source documents and photos
>in a genealogy program is to use the scans for the intended purpose and make
>file size decisions based on trial printouts (or web postings).
>Elizabeth
>
>
>
>
>To Post a message, send it to: genphoto@...
>
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>
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